2. All hail the defence

The importance of keeping another clean-sheet – Forest’s third in a row – should not be underestimated.

Another 0-0 draw might not please everyone, but given the Reds were shipping goals left, right and centre under Mark Warburton, sorting the defence out had to be one of Aitor Karanka’s main priorities.

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Getting that right has given the manager a strong foundation to build on.

He’s reaping the benefits of keeping a consistent back line, too. They were fantastic as a unit against the Blades, with Costel Pantilimon also playing a crucial part in goal and the defensive midfield duo of Jack Colback and Ben Watson adding that extra layer of protection.

Costel Pantilimon makes a last minute save to keep Forest in the game (Image: Mark Fear Photography)

3. Goals will come

With the defence in hand, attention now turns to the attack.

Karanka opted to mix it up a little bit at Bramall Lane, playing Ben Brereton just off Murphy, rather than sticking with an out-and-out lone striker. Given the security of a mid-table finish beckons, it was worth giving that system a go, even if it did not pay off with a goal.

Drawing a blank for a third successive game is frustrating, but the Reds did show much more attacking intent in the second half than they did for the full 90 minutes against Derby County a week ago.

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We know this team has the ability to score goals – less than a month ago they put five past QPR, after all. Getting more out of them is something for the manager to work on in the fortnight’s break.

Ben Brereton goes down (Image: Mark Fear Photography)

4. A positive point

Yes, Forest will be frustrated they didn’t come away with the win. But this should still be seen as a very good point.

Two draws, and two shut-outs, against play-off-chasing teams in Derby and United, is a decent return. Seven games unbeaten, no matter how many draws form part of that sequence, is a fine achievement – especially given consistency had proved elusive for so long.

It shows how far the club have come in a short space of time under Karanka.

A big shift was never going to happen overnight, but important building blocks are being put in place which can, hopefully, lead to even better results next year.

Danny Fox has an attempt on goal (Image: Mark Fear Photography)

5. Get them signed up!

With eight games to go, the summer is fast approaching – and with it, decisions about players’ futures.

Sometimes clubs wait until the last ball has been kicked to sort out who’s staying and who’s going. But with little left to play for in terms of relegation or promotion now, Forest could do worse than start having those conversations early.

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Get the ball rolling with tying Tobias Figueiredo down, for instance. Work on bringing Costel Pantilimon back. Secure Danny Fox’s signature on a new deal. Try to persuade Lee Tomlin, Jack Colback and even Kieran Dowell they should return to the City Ground in some capacity. All have played key roles for the Reds at various stages this term.

The international break could be a good time to put plans in place, or at least open dialogue – get in there before anyone else beats them to it.